Chapter 17.44
BUILDING SITING AND DESIGN*
Sections:
17.44.022 Multi-family design standards.
17.44.024 Nonresidential design standards.
17.44.040 Limitation in employment areas.
* Prior history:
17.44.030 History: Ord. 1175 §2, 1993; Ord. 1289 §1, 2000; Repealed by Ord. 1323 §1, 2002.
17.44.010 Applicability.
Building siting and design standards shall apply to all development that is subject to design review.
Statutory Reference: ORS Ch. 197 and 227
History: Ord. 1131 §2, 1990; Ord. 1289 §1, 2000.
17.44.020 General standards.
Building siting and design standards are as follows:
(1) Siting. Where there are no conflicts with other design standards or requirements in this Title, site buildings to maximize solar access where practical, using such techniques as:
(a) Maximizing east-west street length so that principal building façades will face south;
(b) Orienting buildings within twenty degrees of true south as well as maximizing their south-facing dimension;
(c) Placing higher buildings on the north portion of the site, while protecting solar access for adjacent sites;
(d) Placing major yard spaces on south side of buildings.
(2) Energy Efficient Design. Where there are no conflicts with other design standards or requirements in this Title, design buildings that are conducive to energy efficiency and conservation, using techniques including, but not limited to, those listed below which are most appropriate to the development:
(a) Concentrate window areas on the south side (within twenty degrees of true south) of buildings where there is good southern exposure, and provide overhangs, balconies, or other shading devices to prevent excessive summer heat gains;
(b) Use architectural features, shapes or buildings, fences, natural landforms, berms and vegetation to catch and direct summer breezes for natural cooling and minimize effects of winter winds;
(c) Provide skylights or clerestory windows to provide natural lighting and/or solar heating of interior spaces.
(3) Compatibility. Arrange structures and use areas to be compatible with adjacent developments and surrounding land uses, considering the following design and siting techniques:
(a) Locate and design structures to protect scenic views or vistas from adjacent properties and public thoroughfares. Setbacks, building height and bulk should be considered;
(b) Design structures to provide visual order and avoid monotony in layout and design;
(c) Orient major service activity areas (e.g., loading and delivery areas) of the proposed project away from existing residences;
(d) Provide opaque enclosures and gates for all refuse storage areas;
(e) Screen mechanical equipment, except solar collection apparatus, from view or place such equipment in locations where it will not be viewed by the public. Screening shall be accomplished by the use of a sight-obscuring fence or hedge, a landscaped earth berm, building placement or other design techniques;
(f) Buffering and/or screening shall be used to mitigate adverse visual impacts, dust, noise and pollution, and to provide for compatibility between dissimilar adjoining uses. Special consideration will be given to the buffering, screening and siting of commercial and industrial uses to ensure that noise and odors are not detectable to normal sensory perception on adjacent residential properties. All development shall comply with GMC Chapter 8.12 (noise control).
(4) Building Materials. Buildings shall be constructed using high-image exterior materials and finishes such as masonry, architecturally treated tilt-up concrete, glass, wood or stucco. Buildings shall not be constructed with metal siding material, except as approved by the design review committee for specific high-image materials, except for:
(a) Canopies, awnings, screening for roof-mounted fixtures, or other architectural features:
(b) Utility equipment cabinets:
(c) Structures no greater than two hundred (200) square feet in floor area and ten (10) feet in height: and,
(d) Buildings, the portions of buildings, that are not visible from a road or adjacent property.
(5) Lighting. Adequate exterior lighting shall be provided to protect public safety and shall be deflected so as not to shine on a lot in a residential district.
(6) On-site Lighting. All on-site lighting shall be designed, located, shielded, or deflected so as not to shine into off-site structures or impair the vision of the driver of any vehicle. When required, engineered site lighting plans shall be developed consistent with Illuminating Engineering Standards (IES) including, but not limited to, average maintained illumination and maximum to minimum ratios. A master plan for on-site lighting shall include the design, height, and location of all proposed exterior lights, including:
(a) Parking and loading area lighting;
(b) Pedestrian walkway lighting;
(c) Internal access road lighting;
(d) Lighting of public entrances into buildings;
(e) Flood lights illuminating buildings or significant natural features.
(7) Equipment and Facilities. All utility lines shall be placed underground. All roof-mounted fixtures and utility cabinets or similar equipment which must be installed above ground shall be visually screened from public view.
(8) Trash Disposal and Recycling Collection. In addition to the preceding standards, new construction requiring full site plan review shall incorporate functional and adequate space for on-site storage and efficient collection of mixed solid waste and source separated recyclables prior to pick-up and removal by haulers.
(a) Minimum storage area for trash and recyclables shall be established by one of the following methods: minimum standards method or franchise hauler review method.
(A) Franchise Hauler Review Method. The applicant shall submit plans for storage and collection of solid waste and recyclables that are acceptable to the city’s franchise solid waste hauler; acceptance may be indicated on the site plan and/or by separate attachment; or
(B) Minimum Standards Method. The applicant shall submit plans for storage of solid waste and recyclables in accordance with the following:
(i) Multi-family complexes containing ten (10) or fewer dwelling units shall provide a minimum fifty (50) square feet; developments containing more than ten (10) residential units shall provide an additional five (5) square feet per dwelling unit above ten (10).
(ii) Nonresidential developments shall provide a minimum storage area of ten (10) square feet plus:
(aa) office – 4 square feet /1,000 square feet gross floor area (GFA)
(bb) retail – 10 square feet /1,000 square feet GFA
(cc) wholesale/warehouse/manufacturing – 6 square feet /1,000 square feet GFA
(dd) educational & institutional – 4 square feet / 1,000 square feet GFA
(ee) Other – 4 square feet /1,000 square feet GFA
(C) The storage area requirement is based on the predominate use of the building, as described above in subparagraph (a)(B)(ii) of this subsection. If a building has more than one use and that use occupies twenty percent (20%) or less of the floor area of the building, the floor area occupied by that use shall be counted toward the floor area of the predominate use. If a building has more than one of the uses listed in subparagraph (a)(B)(ii) of this subsection, and that use occupies more than twenty percent (20%) of the floor area of the building, then the storage area requirement for the whole building shall be the sum of the requirement for the area of each use.
(D) The specific requirements shall meet the Uniform Fire Code and are based on an assumed storage height of four feet (4’) for solid waste/recyclables. Vertical storage higher than four feet (4’) but not higher than seven feet (7’) may be used to accommodate the same volume of storage in a reduced floor space.
(9) Temporary Structures. All temporary structures:
(a) Shall be located behind the front building line of the primary structure and shall meet the setback requirements for accessory structures of the underlying zoning district. On corner lots the streetside setback can be reduced to five feet.
(b) Exceptions to these standards may be made by the Planning Department for temporary storage of materials as long as the temporary structure is removed within 15 days, is not erected for more than 30 days in one calendar year and is not seen as a nuisance to the city. Any temporary structures for current activities, such as lemonade stands, gardening, temporary mechanical repair, temporary storage, and other similar activities, would be subject to this same provision.
(c) This section shall apply to all temporary structures in place after the effective date of this section.
(d) Any temporary structure will be secured per manufacturer’s instructions for proper anchoring.
Statutory Reference: ORS Ch. 197 and 227
History: Ord. 1131 §2, 1990; Ord. 1171 §1(U), 1993; Ord. 1289 §1, 2000; Ord. 1323 §1, 2002., Ord. 1395, 2007; Ord. 1482 §3, 2018.
17.44.022 Multi-family design standards.
New multi-family buildings, including accessory buildings, shall be subject to the following design standards:
(1) Façades. Building façades and exterior walls visible from a public street or pedestrian path or from adjacent property in an R-5 or R-7.2 zoning district shall not consist of a monotonous blank wall and shall include a minimum of two of the following:
(a) Windows;
(b) Entries;
(c) Balconies;
(d) Bays; or
(e) The use of two or more distinct materials to break up stretches longer than fifty lineal feet (50’) of unbroken area.
(2) Windows.
(a) Window trim shall not be flush with exterior wall treatment.
(b) Windows shall be provided with an architectural surround at the jamb, head and sill.
(c) All windows facing the front lot line shall be double hung or casement windows.
(3) Roofs. Hipped, gambrel or gabled roofs shall be required. Flat roofs shall not be permitted except in areas where mechanical equipment is mounted.
Statutory Reference: ORS Ch. 197 and 227
History: Ord. 1289 §1, 2000.
17.44.024 Nonresidential design standards.
New nonresidential buildings, with the exception of buildings housing institutional, warehouse or manufacturing uses, shall be subject to the following design standards:
(1) Ground Floor Windows. Ground floor windows shall be required on walls fronting a public street and shall comply with the following standards:
(a) The windows shall cover at least fifty percent (50%) of the length and twenty-five percent of the ground level wall area. Ground level wall areas include all exterior wall areas up to nine feet (9’) above the finished grade. The bottom of required windows shall be no more than four feet (4’) above the adjacent exterior finished grade.
(b) Required windows shall be windows that allow views into work areas or lobbies, pedestrian entrances or display windows set into the wall. Display cases attached to the outside wall shall not qualify.
(2) Distinct Ground Floor. The ground level of primary buildings shall be visually distinct from upper floors. This separation shall be provided by one of the following mechanisms:
(a) A cornice above ground level;
(b) An arcade;
(c) Change in material or texture or architectural design; or
(d) A row of clerestory windows on the building’s street-facing elevation.
Statutory Reference: ORS Ch. 197 and 227
History: Ord. 1289 §1, 2000; Ord. 1323 §1, 2002.
17.44.040 Limitation in employment areas.
In Employment Areas shown on Map 14 (Employment Areas) of the Comprehensive Plan, no retail use larger than sixty thousand (60,000) square feet of gross leasable area per building or business shall be allowed unless the applicant demonstrates the following:
(1) Transportation facilities adequate to serve the retail use, consistent with Metro’s functional plans for transportation, will be in place at the time the retail use begins operation; and
(2) Transportation facilities adequate to meet the transportation need for the other planned uses in the Employment Area are included in the Comprehensive Plan.
Statutory Reference: ORS Ch. 197 and 227
History: Ord. 1334, §7, 2002.